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Undomiel9

I saunter down the hallway of the Temple, humming softly, happy with the way the day has been progressing; not only had I been witness to one of Aeryn's most humbling moments, but I had also managed to pull off one of the greatest pranks in Temple history!

Boy, would Kenobi and Nano have a surprise waiting for them when they got back!

With that reminder, I begin to wonder what sort of mission the two young Padawans are on; as much as I love to get the occasional prank in, I'd hate to see anything happen to either of them. Well ... Kenobi could use a good swift kick every once in a while, but who couldn't?

With that thought still on my mind, I turn the corner to the cafeteria, lost in introspection and heedless of my surroundings. It is in precisely this manner that I bump headlong into my Master, nearly knocking the both of us over.

"Undomiel ..." she says admonishingly, straightening her robes. Well, there goes the good day.

"Yes Master?" I question, hoping to somehow redeem myself; I can tell by the look in Tralayn's eyes that nothing short of taking out an entire flock of mynocks single-handedly, unarmed, would accomplish this and heave a sigh.

Tralayn shakes her head and tuts disapprovingly, taking my braid from its tangled position at the top of my head to let it fall properly again. "Padawan. You must learn to be mindful. If you cannot sense a person barely two feet ahead of you, what can you sense?"

I hang my head and nod, once again wanting nothing more than to disappear. "Of course Master. It's just that ..."

"You were daydreaming. Yes Undomiel I know. I saw you." She responds, her tone firm, but not harsh. "There is a time and a place for dreaming ... and that is not in the middle of the day in public areas. Do you understand?"

I nod my head in compliance, feeling about the size of a wamprat. "Yes, Master." I say, fidgeting with my tunic. I notice that the hems are beginning to come undone, and I start to tug gently on the loose thread, hoping that Tralayn is done with her lecture.

"I was looking for you to remind you of our meeting tomorrow." The Jedi says, her eyes softening somewhat. "Do not forget. Three o'clock in the library."

I had completely forgotten about that! I nod my head swiftly, making a mental note to write that on my calendar when I get back to my quarters. "Of course." I say, smiling.

"Do not be late." Tralayn reinforces as she turns to walk back down the hallway; if the woman were the military sort, she would be excellent with new recruits. I sigh and continue on my journey to the cafeteria, every now and again running across a familiar face.

After stopping to talk with more than a few, I finally manage to make my way into the cafeteria, looking for Gabe. Padawans line the tables, munching happily as they discuss the latest news out of the Rishi Maze or the results of the Kessel Run. I finally manage to spot the little blond at a table near the window, huddled over a paper, not paying much attention to anything else; I stop at the beverage counter briefly to pick up two hot chocolates and set them down on the table with a thunk as I plop onto the bench next to him.

"Hello Undomiel." He says without even looking up. "You know I don't like mint in my hot chocolate."

I balk slightly, both amazed and annoyed that the boy doesn't even have to see me to know it's me. "Maybe it's not your hot chocolate that's got the mint in it." I counter, trying my best to keep a straight face.

"And you'd get mint, even though you're allergic, because ...?" He questions, finally pulling his eyes away from his paper; he looks up at me and smiles, making all thoughts I had of dumping the chocolate in his lap disappear.

"Oh, fine. I'll go get you a new one." I say, making to stand up and leave. "And here I thought I was being nice ..."

Gabe grabs my arm and pulls me back down to the bench, chuckling. "Leave it." He says, inching just a little closer and moving the paper in front of me. "I've got something you've just got to see!"

I bend over the paper, wondering what in the world could be so important that Gabe would give up ordering me to do something. As I read, I feel my jaw drop slightly and my eyes bug out of their sockets.

"No ..." I mutter disbelievingly.

"Yup." Gabe responds, nodding his head seriously.

Cienanos

Two hours later, Kenobi and I were standing in a clearing in the middle of the jungle. I was leaning against a tree watching the young Padawan examined the soft dirt under his feet. We had determined immediately that the two Masters had decided to stay together and work as a team rather than split up, at least for now.

We had followed a pretty good trail for about the last thirty minutes but then we hit a rough spot. The trail had suddenly grown cold. It was almost as if the two Masters had disappeared. I stood watching my partner for about five minutes before he rose and turned to me.

"I think that they went to our left," he stated. "The leaves of grass seemed to be slightly more disturbed. I would say they passed through here about…"

"Forty-five minutes ago," I replied.

I could see the surprise register on his face. "How did you know that?" he asked.

I shrugged, "I have my ways Kenobi. I have my ways."

He smiled, "Okay…keep your secrets. I think we should try to follow the trail as far as possible before dark. I don't think we will catch up with them today, however we still may be able to narrow the lead they have."

"Sounds good," I agreed and we headed in the direction of the path seemed to indicate. Even though it was still the middle of the day where we were, it was dark in the jungle. It almost seemed as if we were walking in twilight. The trees beside us stretched high up into the sky, their huge limbs reaching out and blocking out the sun. The ground beneath our feet was covered with a mixture of moss and a native grass. The air was musty with the smell of decaying plants. As we walked on, a soft rain began and the air was filled with the echo of raindrops hitting the leaves of the trees above our heads. The ground became slicker and our pace slowed as we tried to assure that we wouldn't fall. Kenobi was walking ahead of me as I finally decided to end the lull in our conversation.

"This is going to make it much more difficult to track them…however I wonder if…" Suddenly, I felt the ground give way under my feet and felt myself falling several feet. I winced as I hit the ground and felt a crack resonate through my leg. Pain shot through my body. I decided at that point that I truly hated gravity. I was in the middle of trying to clear my head and figure out if I was hurt when I heard Kenobi's voice call out from above.

"Nano? Are you alright? Nano?" he called.

I struggled to find my breath as another wave of pain rocked through my body. I clenched my teeth. I had to run through every Jedi relaxation technique I could think of before I was able to answer.

"I'm alive…that's a plus. But I can't really move my leg."

"Hold on. I'll be right there."

I kept trying to relax as I heard descending into the hole. He walked over to me and kneeled down beside me. I winced as he touched my leg. He carefully examined it and then stood up.

"Well…I guess we can camp here tonight. You aren't going anywhere for now. Your leg is broken."

Undomiel9

"Gabe, if we believe what this says, then everything we've believed about the Runik Civilazation up to this point has been a sham." I say, staring down at the paper in front of me. "Has anyone ever seen this in person to verify it?"

Gabe shakes his head and sighs. "No. No one's ever been able to find the outpost. The map says it's there, but it's so far out in the Delta Quadrant that no one really goes that way anymore ... and even if they did, it wouldn't be for something that would appear as dead end as this."

"I guess you're right, but ... I just don't understand why it hasn't been investigated before." I muse, sitting back against the plush seat and letting my shoulders slump. Gabe shakes his head and puts the map back into his pack, furrowing his brow thoughtfully.

"It's something that will have to wait until later." He says, looking at the clock. "Right now we've got Saber training."

I grimace and chug the remainder of my hot chocolate, setting the mug back down on the table with an unceremonious thunk; Gabe smirks and chuckles. "You could put some of the guys here to shame if you tried, you know."

"Yeah ... but what fun would that be? Then I'd have to live up to my potential." I counter, swinging my own pack over my shoulder and checking to make sure my lightsaber is in place. "Come on. We don't want to be late. I've already gotten the lecture from Master Nim once today ... I don't want to upset her again."

With that, the two of us head out of the common room, arms linked and laughing. The Temple is crowded beyond belief, both Padawans and Masters wandering the halls between classes, and discussing the finer points of Jedi life. For a moment, I get the strangest feeling that something is wrong, and I turn to Gabe with a frown.

"Hey ... has anyone mentioned that mission that Nano and Kenobi went on?" I ask, wondering.

Gabe raises an eyebrow and shrugs, his eyes showing both confusion and concern. "No. No one's mentioned it," he says. "Why?"

"I just ... I don't know. I just get the strangest feeling that something's gone wrong," I mutter, putting a hand to my forehead. "And knowing Nano, if something's gone wrong, it's with her."

Gabe laughs, the sound of which draws the attention of a group of Masters near the great staircase; I give Gabe a gentle tap to the shoulder, and he quiets, but turns to me, taking me by the shoulders and looking me straight in the eye. "Domie ... I understand your concern," he says, his eyes sparkling. "But I wouldn't worry. They're with Master Qui-gon and Master Siron. They'll be fine."

"I know ... I just can't help but feel that trouble's found them somehow." I mutter as we start back towards the sparring room. I grimace inwardly at the thought of having to fight; today just does not seem to be a good day for me to have a weapon in my hand, no matter who the adversary is. Confusion and trepidation run through my head, making it difficult to concentrate on anything, let alone fighting properly. With a deep breath, I follow Gabe into the sparring parlor and take a seat next to him near the back of the room. Moments later, Aeryn walks in, looking smug, her short blonde hair pulled back neatly and her tunic meticulously pressed into place.

"Oh, please," I mutter under my breath. "Could she be any more prissy?"

"Undomiel, that will be all," I hear Master Nim say as she enters the room from a door in the back of the room and glides gracefully past me; I roll my eyes and sulk next to Gabe, pulling my lightsaber off of my belt and fiddling with the hilt.

"I will be matching you up with new partners today, class." Master Nim announces from the center of the room. I sigh in relief and put my lightsaber on the ground using the Force to raise it to a vertical position. "First, we will have the Padawans Gabe and Aeryn," Nim continues, nodding to each of the young students in turn. Both stand from their seats on the floor, and move to the sparring circle, each looking as if their very lives were at stake. I give Gabe a hopeful smile as he approaches the thin green line on the floor, and wait to see what will happen.

Master Nim nods, and steps away from between the two fighters. "Begin!" She cries, throwing her hands into the air. Within seconds, the hiss of saber blade against saber blade fills the room, and the students are all watching, giddy with anticipation. Gabe parries nearly all of Aeryn's thrusts, slowly advancing and forcing her back out of the circle towards the wall. I sit up on my knees, near to cheering for my friend as he bests his opponent; suddenly, Aeryn looks from me, to Gabe, to the railing of the upper balcony above them, and a small smile forms on her face, curling ever so slowly on her lips. The young Padawan closes her eyes, and without warning, a piece of the upper railing breaks from the rest and comes crashing down, hitting Gabe squarely across the back and sending him to the floor in a heap.

Before I even realize what I am doing, my lightsaber flies into my hand and I flip it on, racing full speed towards the blonde-haired girl; the only thing I know is the anger and fury I feel for her at this point, and within seconds, I am unleashing blows left and right on her unsuspecting form. She is barely able to block my advance, and she hugs the wall behind her as if trying to disappear into its ceramic frame.

"UNDOMIEL!" I hear Master Nim cry, racing over and using the Force to pull my lightsaber from my hand. I crumple to my knees, not knowing entirely what happened, but knowing that there is no way the Council is going to let this pass unnoticed.

"Master Nim ..." I mutter, my head hanging. "She ..."

"Did nothing that would warrant that!" Master Nim chides, kneeling down next to Gabe; he groans softly as she helps him to a sitting position, and I can't help but be thankful that nothing worse happened.

"She brought down the railing on him!" I squeak, not knowing what else to say. "Didn't you see that?" Aeryn snickers from her place on the wall, and the Jedi Master just shakes her head.

"Accidents happen Undomiel," she says. "You cannot let your anger towards others drive you to see what does not exist. Now ... I suggest we go clear this up. The Council will not be pleased ..."

I let out a small cry as Master Nim takes my arm and leads me out of the sparring parlor, silently cursing myself for not keeping control. Looking back, I see Gabe still sitting on the floor, looking dazed as ever, and Aeryn standing behind him, snickering and waving as we leave. My heart sinks and I turn to follow the Jedi Master, knowing there is nothing good that could come of this.

Cienanos

The throbbing in my leg only increased as time passed. Propped up against the "wall" of my little discovery, I watched Kenobi climb back out of the hole to get our supplies. When he returned, he put a quick splint on my leg and began to set up the portable heater.

"I hope Master Qui-gon and Siron are having an easier time..." I said attempting to strike up a conversation.

"Oh..I'm sure they are fine. In fact...they are probably looking for us for a change. I'm sure they sensed something," he replied.

"I know. It's dark though. They would be foolish to try to make it through that jungle tonight. Most likely they will wait for morning."

"Well, all we need to do is make sure that we stay in one piece until they reach us."

"Easier said than done," I muttered as I attempted to rid myself of a new wave of pain assaulted my leg. I tried to summon up any and all healing techniques but nothing seemed to be working. I contented myself with closing my eyes and at least trying to look like I wasn't in pain. When I get back to civilization, I thought, the first thing I'm going to do is take a long bath. The second thing I'm going to do is sneak out of the Temple and get a nice strong drink. I think I've earned that little guilty pleasure. I sat there; trying to focus and listening to Kenobi try to coax the heater into working. Suddenly I heard a buzz and the smell of melted metal and wiring filled my nose. I opened my eyes to see Kenobi beating out the heater, which happened to be on fire, with his robe.

"Does this mean that dinner will be late?"

When the fire was out he looked back at me, "Just a little late...you stay here. I'll see if I can find some wood for a fire."

He climbed back out of the hole and went to look for some wood. After fifteen minutes, my leg began to feel better. As I sat there and stared at what was left of the heater, I wondered if I could start fixing it. I needed something to do. I picked up a survival light and attempted to pull myself up onto my good leg. I started to pull on what looked like a root but as I pulled, something came loose and almost fell on me. It looked like a small metal box...what type of metal I couldn't tell. It looked old...very old. What seemed to have been a lock at some point, looked like it had been smashed and the box opened easily (well...easily after and hour of smashing it with a rock). When I opened it, I saw another box. In this one was a holo cube. I looked it over. None of the markings appeared familiar. Maybe Kenobi would know what it was...or maybe Domie... I knew one thing though...this little mystery would be enough to get me through the next few hours of leg pain.